Printer Allegra buys Merivale Road KKP franchise

Two well-known west-end Ottawa printing companies have inked a deal to join forces.

Allegra Design Print Mail, which has operated in the city since 1987, has acquired the Merivale Road franchise of printing and design services firm KKP, Allegra owner Jim Gillespie announced earlier this month.

Terms of the cash deal were not disclosed.

Mr. Gillespie said he began talks about a merger with Merivale KKP owner Javier Coronado a few months ago when Mr. Coronado told him he was planning to retire.

Mr. Gillespie said the deal makes sense for a few reasons. The stores are located near each other – Allegra is located at 1806 Carling Ave. and KKP is just five minutes away at 1529 Merivale Rd. – and offer similar services with comparable price structures.

Both businesses are independently owned and operated members of the Alliance Franchise Brands network, a group of more than 600 printing and marketing outlets in Canada, the United States and the U.K.

“There’s definitely always potential there to grow the business,” said Mr. Gillespie. “It fit well with what we’re trying to do.”

Mr. Coronado and his wife were the main employees of KKP and will no longer be involved in the operations. KKP’s Merivale store will close down and its client list will be transferred to Allegra, which has six employees.